SYRACUSE,
N.Y. - State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today said he expects the next round
of pension contributions from local governments to dip slightly.

"I
think it's likely we will see another decrease in the contribution rate,"
DiNapoli said today in Syracuse. He said the decrease in rates - which will be
set officially this summer - will not be huge. "I'm optimistic that the
downward trend will continue," the comptroller said.

Even
the slightest dip would be good news for localities like Syracuse, where the
pension bill is one of the largest items in the annual budget. Here's a three-year look at the city's pension bills:

$28.5
million in the 2014-15 budget

$33.4
million in the 2013-14 budget

$30.1
million in the 2012-13 budget

By
comparison, the city budgets about $31 million to pay for the fire department.

Last
summer, the average contribution rate was set at 20.9 percent of payroll for
government workers and 28.9 percent of payroll for police and fire retirements.
Those pension payments come due in February.